Who had it good — and who had it bad — in 2023

Who had it good — and who had it bad — in 2023

Curtis S. Chin, a former U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank, is managing director of advisory firm RiverPeak Group. Jose B. Collazo is an analyst focusing on the Indo-Pacific region. Follow them on X at @CurtisSChin and @JoseBCollazo. As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look at the year that was in … Read more

Thousands of Ukrainian POWs are still missing months after capture

Thousands of Ukrainian POWs are still missing months after capture

KYIV, UKRAINE – 2023/12/17: A protester draped in an AZOV flag at Sophia Square to support Ukrainian prisoners of war. ‘Don’t be silent! Captivity kills!’ action is held to remind people about the Ukrainian POWs, particularly the defenders of Mariupol, who have been held captive for more than 1.5 years. According to Ukrainian authorities 4,337 … Read more

Houthi attacks on Red Sea likely won’t end anytime soon

Houthi attacks on Red Sea likely won’t end anytime soon

Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20, 2023. Houthi Military Media | Via Reuters Drone and missile attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants have upended shipping through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, a narrow waterway through which some 10% of the … Read more

Singapore urges public to continue getting vaccinated as cases surge

Singapore urges public to continue getting vaccinated as cases surge

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s latest spike in Covid cases may be starting to peak — but the public needs to stay up to date on vaccinations, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told CNBC on Thursday. Singapore reported 56,043 Covid cases in the week of Dec. 3 to 9, marking a 75% surge compared to the week … Read more

China revokes Taiwan tariff concessions ahead of elections

China revokes Taiwan tariff concessions ahead of elections

Taiwanese flags during the National Day celebration in Keelung, Taiwan, on Monday, Oct. 9, 2022. I-Hwa Cheng | Bloomberg | Getty Images China suspended tax concessions on 12 chemical compound imports from Taiwan in retaliation for what Beijing deems to be a violation of a trade agreement, just weeks ahead of key elections in the … Read more

Where is it safe to travel in 2024? See the updated list

Where is it safe to travel in 2024? See the updated list

Planning a vacation? Here are the countries that pose the maximum risk for travelers in 2024 — and also the ones that are the safest — according to International SOS. The risk assessment firm, in its 2024 Risk Map, has ranked these countries based on several metrics, including security, medical dangers as well as the … Read more

Biden campaign: Trump ‘parroted Hitler’

Biden campaign: Trump ‘parroted Hitler’

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a “Commit to Caucus” event for his supporters in Coralville, Iowa, U.S., December 13, 2023.  Vincent Alban | Reuters The Biden campaign slammed former President Donald Trump for echoing Nazi sentiments with his repeated statements on Saturday night that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” … Read more

U.S. swaps Maduro ally for ‘Fat Leonard’ in Venezuela prisoner exchange

U.S. swaps Maduro ally for ‘Fat Leonard’ in Venezuela prisoner exchange

U.S. President Joe Biden pauses as he announces the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, as part of administration efforts to lower gasoline prices, during remarks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, … Read more

Fake TikTok accounts spread Russia-Ukraine war propaganda to millions

Fake TikTok accounts spread Russia-Ukraine war propaganda to millions

Picture Alliance | Getty Images LONDON — Fake TikTok accounts have spread disinformation on Russia’s war in Ukraine to millions of people, new data from the Chinese social media giant shows. Posts on the video-sharing site targeted Ukrainian and Russian users, as well as many across Europe, with content designed to “artificially amplify pro-Russian narratives” … Read more

Predatory Sparrow (Gonjeshke Darande) claim cyberattack on Iran’s gas stations

Predatory Sparrow (Gonjeshke Darande) claim cyberattack on Iran’s gas stations

08/16/2023 Tehran, Iran. A view of the single nozzle fuel dispenser of a gas station in Tehran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) Hossein Beris | Afp | Getty Images A hacking group widely reported as being linked … Read more